S.N. Vigneshwaram vs Hon. Attorney General – CA APPEAL NO 123/2011-2013

In the case between S.N. Vigneshwaram (Appellant/Accused) and the Hon. Attorney General, Attorney General’s Department, Sri Lanka (Respondent), the court addressed the issue of whether the sentence imposed for grave sexual abuse was excessive, given the appellant’s age (16 years) at the time of the offence and the victim’s age (11 years). It was held that while the conviction for grave sexual abuse was not contested on appeal, the imposition of a 10-year term of rigorous imprisonment was excessive. The sentence was substituted with 2½ years of rigorous imprisonment, with the fine and compensation remaining unchanged. The court reaffirmed the principle of judicial discretion in sentencing, particularly in circumstances involving youthful offenders, relying on relevant statutory sentencing p